Simple & Happy

For today’s prompt, I was asked to reflect on an ending that I haven’t yet seen – what would the final chapter or final sentence of my life story be? As someone that often dreams up crazy things I can one day do or be, that’s a really hard thing to narrow down, so I turned to some friends and family for their input.

When I asked my brother to write the last line of my story, his immediate response was, “And that’s why I like cats more than I like people…” – ok that’s clearly a joke (maybe?).

Another brother misunderstood the rules and he wrote the last line of his own story, “And in that moment, he secured his title as The Most Interesting Man in the World, and will forever be known as the GOAT (greatest of all time).”

I thought that was pretty good – I might have to consider setting my own bar that high.

One coworker said, “That’s the way the cookie crumbles.” Who can argue with that?

Also referencing the cat theme, another coworker wrote, “Which, after all, is why cat’s have nine lives.”

My husband, the one you might say knows me best – expanded upon this theme:

“Jenny lived out the last chapter of her story fulfilling a life-long passion for animals and their welfare. She purchased a 75-acre plot of land in the country, and created a sanctuary for neglected and abused animals. Together with her husband and family, they tended to their flock and led a simple but happy life.”

Simple and happy – two words that sound pretty great to me. I hope when I’m nearing the final chapter, I can look back and say that yes, I did what I could to help those that were unable to help themselves. Sure, I’ve taken care of some strays here and there, but I’m confident that this storyline is still being written. And since I can think big here, I might also add that the sanctuary is located at the base of a mountain with a crystal clear lake at the bottom and lots of hiking trails. There's a big garden, a wrap-around porch and a small B&B on the property where I regularly whip up delicious food for our guests.

According to my husband, however, the plot line didn’t end quite there…

“Named after their friend (and cat) George, her sanctuary became known as “Boompsies.” Secretly, Jenny had been trying to come up with a way to clone George using DNA from his black hair that she had kept for nearly 35 years. Although never successful, the establishment was overrun with Bombay cats with yellow eyes.”

While I don’t think I'll ever really attempt to clone my cat George, I do hope my last chapters also have a similar hint of humor in them.